The Life and Times of Ruth Dagmar - Jim Knoff

1939 is off to a promising start. As Ruth Knoff begins the new year amid family and friends, she feels as though her in-laws are finally starting to accept her. But she hasn't escaped the troubles of the previous years. While her husband, Ray, struggles to find work, Hitler's rise to power casts a shadow over all they do.

As the United States is drawn into the next great war, Ruth worries that Ray will be drafted, and she prays that she won't lose her brother Tom, who enlisted in the navy after deciding there was no future for him on the farm. Still, her family continues to grow. Through hard work and the sharing of resources and expertise, she and Ray acquire more land. And their fortunes begin -- slowly -- to turn around.

Based on the diary of the author's mother, the second volume of The Life and Times of Ruth Dagmar offers an intimate look at rural small-town life during World War II and the world events that helped shape today's geo-politics and international relations.